Bowling-alley



W. M. BRADLEY.

,BQWLING ALLEY.

. 'APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1919. 1,338,284.

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W. M. BRADLEY.

BOWLING ALLEY.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 19I9.

1,338,284. Patented Apr. 27, 1920.;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- W. M. BRADLEY.

aowuwe ALLEY. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1919.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. M. BRADLEY.

BOWLING ALLEY.-

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22.1919.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

4 SHEETS SHEET 4.

WALTER M. BRADLEY, OF N HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2 7, 1920.

Application filed Npvember 22, 1919. Serial No 339,867.-

To aZZ'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER M. BRADLEY, a citizen of-the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bowling Alleys; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, 'in- Figure 1. A plan view of a bowling alley constructed in accordance with my inven tion.

Fig. 2. A side view partly in section of the same. i

Fig. 3, A rear View.

Fig. 4. A face view of one of the cages detached.

Fig. 5. A vertical sectional view: of one of the cages showing the gate therein in its normal position.

Fig. 6. A similar View showing the'cage in its depressed position and as about to discharge a ball located therein.

Fig". 7. A plan view of the means for raising the cagesand releasing the balls.

Fig; 8. A vertical sectional view of the same.

Fig. 9. A broken perspective view of the ball runway, showing the' stop door therein.

Fig. 10. A face View of-the coin actuating han sm v Fig. 11. A top view of the same.

Fig. 12. A side view of a cage with an over-balancing weight.

This invention relates to. improvement in bowling alleys and particularly to that type in which the ball, when bowled, is driven over an incline so as to rise in the air. and engage with i or hit; an elevated target, the object of the invention being to arrange abowling alley in, connection with ten pins in the form of cages into which the balls may be directed by the skill of the plttvr'and which will, when the ball enters the cage, descend and discharge the ball. The invention further consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts as will, be hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims,

' In carrying out my invention, I employ a platform or alley 15 provided with an upwardly inclined surface 16. At the rear of the alley I arrange a series of cages 17 which I term aerial ten pins. The fronts 18 of these .cages are in the form of ten pins each formed with an opening 19 into the box or cage ineach of. which is a gate 21 to be more fully hereinafter described. These cages are guided for vertical movement by vertical guides 22 and preferably rollers 23 and 24 will be mounted on the back of the cages to contact with the front face of the guide rods 22 and with rollers and 26 engaging with the rear faces of the said vertical guides 22. Each cage is connected to the end of a cord 27 which extends upward over an idler 28 over an idler 29 thence downward over an idler 3O thence upward and over idlers 31 and 32 to a transverse bar 33 to which all ofthe cords from the several cages extend. This transthe cord between the idlers 29 and 30, a

counter-balancing weight 41 is connected and on the reach 42 between theidlers 31. and 32 a weight 43 is suspended by which the cages are counter-balanced and any slack in the cords is taken up. Each cage 7 is formed in its bottom with a hole 44: through which may enter a pin 45. fixed in the floor of the alley. The gates 21, be fore referred to, consist of two arms 46 and 17 arranged at right angles to each other and in the normal position the arm 16 stands horizontally and just. below, the opening 19 so that a ball entering that opening will strike the arm 17 which then stands in a vertical position and. rock. the trap so as to turn the arm47 into a horizontal position and the arm 46into avertical position in front of. the ball so that it cannot escape through the opening 19. A ball 48 bowled by the player and rightly directed will enter one of the cages and the weight of the ball will overcome the counter-balancing weight 41' and cause the cage to descend and as it descends itv will pass over the pin 45 which will turn the trap to its normal position and permit the ball 18 to escape. The ball escaping from the trap will fall onto the floor of the alley,the portion 49 of whichis slightly.

inclined so .that the ball'will roll forward into a channel 50 in the front of the 1n-.

.clined-surface 16 from whichfit will be guided to one side into. a runway 51 or the discharged balls may enter one of the transverse grooves 52 from which they will on'the door 58 is a cord 56 which exblock tends rearward into connections w ith a This block 57 is made in two sections connected together with a coin-gate block SS' between them, and each section is formed with a longitudinal opening,

' enlarged at their outer ends and the inner 7 tends and the block is guided for 'longitu-e ends registering with a hole 72 in the coingate block 58. The block 57 is arranged in a box 59 through which the cord 34: ex-

dinal movement by guide rods 60 and 61 which are supported at their ends in bearings 62 and 63. In the center of the box is a coin slot ca adapted to register with a slot 65 in the coin-gate block 58 and pivotally mounted in this coin slot is a'coingate'66 adapted to be turned by the weight of a coin 67 up into position in line with the opening 72 in the coin-gate block 58 so as to prevent the passing through that block of an action block 68 secured to the cable 34 which action block is free to move through the block 58 unless the opening in the coin-gate block is closedby the action of acoin. When a coin is dropped into the slot so as to close the gate 66, a rearward pull upon the cable 34: will cause the action block 68 to engage with the coin-gate 66 and a continued pull upon the cable will move theblock 57 rearward until the coin slot registers with a coin receptacle 69 into which the coin will. escape. After a predetermined number'of balls have been bowled, they will collect in the runway infront of the door .53, then if a coin be inserted in the slot G l, a rearward pull upon the cord 34;. will cause the action block 68 to engage with the coin-gate 66 and the block 57 will be moved rearward and as it moves rearward it will pull the cord 56 and open the door 53 so as to. allow the balls in front of it to roll rearward for access by the player. On the other hand, at any time the player can by pulling the cable 34, reset the cages which as before stated are all counter-balanced so to remain in their elevated position when the cable 34 has been pulled but each one is free to drop under the added weight its normal position.

of a ball entering the. cage. l 'referably and as shown, the cages will be arranged I somewhat in the manner of ten pins except that the foremost row w1ll consist of four cages, the next row of three, the third'row of two, then asingle one arranged cen trally. In order to prevent the movement of cages from interfering with each other; three of the cages 70; 71 and 72' will be guided at one side. Instead of counterbalancing'the cages and providing means under the control of the player, eachcage may be over balanced by a weight 73," as shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings,and a shelf 74 provided for the weightsl and so that'when a'ball enters a cage thefweight of the ball will over balance the' weight connected with that cage and the cagewill descend and then when the ball has been discharged as above described the weight will over balance the cage and raise it to WVith cages thus arranged it will not be necessary to connect the cage cords with the cable 34: and in' this case the cable will be connected to one end of a spring 75 as indicated by broken o lines in Fig. 7, the other end of'the spring being secured to a fixed point so that the block 57 may be moved'by the player as" described; that when the c'ableis r'eleased the block will be moved forward by the contraction of the spring 74.

I claim r 1 A bowling.alley comprising a floor with an inclined section, a series 'ofcages suspended'at the rear end of thejfloor, means "for raising said cages, saidjcages formed with ball may enter and whereby under the weight of the ball, said cages will descend. 2. A bowling alley comprising a floor with openings in their front walls into which'a j 'aninclined section,'a series of cages suspended at the rear; end of the-floor, said cages each counter-balanced, said cages formed withopenings in their front walls intowhich a ball may enter and whereby under. the weight oftheball, said cages will descend r V 3. A bowling alley comprising a floor ar: ranged intermediate of its length with an upwardly inclined surface, a series of cages suspended at the rear of the alley, means for raising said cages, said cages each formed with an opening, a gate in each cage adapted. bythe inward'movement of a :ball

to close'the opening to the cage and means i for turning said gates and discharging the ball when the cages descend.

4:. A bowling alley comprising a floor arranged intermediate of its length with an upwardly inclined surface, aseries of cages,

suspended at the rear of thealley, means for counter-balancing said cages, saidcages each formed with an opening, a gate in each cage adapted by the inwardemovement of a ball to close the opening to the cage and means for turning said gates and discharging the ball when the cages descend.

5. A bowling alley comprising a floor arranged intermediate of its length with an upwardly inclined surface, a series of cages suspended at the rear of the alley, each cage formed with an opening and provided with a gate adapted upon the entrance of a ball to close the opening, said cages formed in their bottoms with holes and pins arranged in line with said cages and adapted to enter the same when the cages descend, whereby the gates are turned and the balls discharged.

6. A bowling alley including a series of counter-balanced suspended cages, the cords by which the cages are suspended all extending to a transverse bar and a cable extending from the bar in position to be moved by the operator.

7. A bowling alley comprising a series of suspended cages into which balls may be thrown, a runway into which said balls are discharged, a door in said runway, a cable extending into position for operation by the player and connection between said cable and said door whereby the balls may be released substantially as described.

8. A bowling alley comprising a series of counter-balanced suspended cages into which balls may be thrown, a runway into which said balls are discharged, a door in said run way, means for raising said cages to their normal position including a cable extending into position for operation by the player and connection between said cable and said player and connection between said cable,

and said door whereby the halls may be released substantially as described, including a coin-gate receiving block, a coin-gate in said block and'an action block secured to the cable, the movement of which maybe arrested by the said coin-gate.

10. A bowling alley comprising a series oi. counter-balanced suspended cages into which balls may be thrown, a runway into which said balls are discharged, a door in said runway, means for raising said cages to their normal position including a cable extending into position for operation by the player and connection between said cable and said door whereby the balls may be released substantially" as described, including a coin-gate receiving block, a coingate in said block and an action block secured to the cable, the movement of which may be arrested by the said coin-gate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specificationinthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVALTER M. BRADLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE T. BRADLEY, MILTON H. BRADLEY. 

